Can you remember all of your ABC's? Computers need to "remember" letters too. Every time we use a computer to write a story, the computer needs to "remember" the letters in the story by saving them to the computer's memory as a file. In this experiment find out how much memory it takes for the computer to "remember" a series of letters.
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Do your parents ever get upset with you for "wasting" paper and ink from your printer? Maybe you wanted to print a comic you found online, or a whole bunch of pictures of you and your friends being goofy, or all the instructions on how to put together that really awesome LEGO® castle. But 20 pages of text and pictures later, your mom or dad is yelling at you. Why do they even care how much you print? And why do people say it is a "waste" of paper? Try this printer-saving science project to…
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CompSci_p041

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Time Required

Very Short (≤ 1 day)

Prerequisites

You must have access to a computer with an Internet connection and word processing software. You should also be familiar enough with your word processing program to perform simple actions like changing font size and printing. Ask an adult to help if you need it.

Jpeg, bmp, gif, tiff ... do these just look like words that you and your friends might make up for your own secret language? They are actually just a few of the file formats (which means "types") that you can use to save your favorite photo on your computer. But does it matter which one you use? Try this simple science fair project to find out and you'll never choose the wrong one again!
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When you picture video games, you probably picture realistic figures, a lot of color, and a lot of detail, right? Those descriptions do not really describe video games from the early 1980's. So why do video games today look better than video games from the 80's? One major change between then and now is the number of pixels, or dots on the screen, used to represent video game objects. When Nintendo® first introduced the Super Mario Bros game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in…
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This project is a fun way to try your hand at programming. You'll learn how to create some simple animations, and you'll perform tests and make measurements to help you create more realistic-looking animations. All you need to get started is a Web browser and a text editor (like Notepad).
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How many bits of information are in a digital photo? It depends on how many possible colors there are. Learn how to choose the right number of colors and bits to post your photo on the web or send it to your best friend.
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This is a good first-time programming project. You'll learn how to use JavaScript to create a simple program to alphabetize lists of words. You'll be able to run your program in your Web browser.
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We use passwords every day for our email and other computer accounts. How secure is the password that you use? How hard would it be for someone to guess your password? How hard is it to write a computer program to guess a password? You can see for yourself by writing a simple password guesser in the computer language Python. We will get you started with some ideas, a little sample code, and a few passwords for your computer program to try and guess.
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CompSci_p046

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

To complete the programming portion of this science project, students should have access to a machine capable of running Python™ 3 (Microsoft Windows™, Apple Mac, Raspberry Pi®, or some other Linux computer), permission to install software, and a basic grasp of programming (or ready access to a willing helper who knows a little Python).

Material Availability

Readily available. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

Hacking into other people's password-protected accounts is a federally prosecutable offense. The program example given in this science project will only work in the context of this science project.

Have you ever seen a "Hail Mary" football pass, where the quarterback tries to throw the ball as far as possible to reach the end zone and score a touchdown? Or a last second game tying soccer goal from midfield? How far the ball will go does not just depend on how hard a player throws or kicks it; it also depends on the angle at which the player launches the ball. In this sports science project, you will investigate how launch angle affects the distance that a ball travels by filming…
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Sports_p036

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

This science project requires a computer with internet access and a digital video camera with a tripod. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.

Cost

Low ($20 - $50)

Safety

Be sure to do this science project in an open area like an empty football field, where you will not hit people or buildings with the ball.

You can find this page online at: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/search.shtml?v=solt&pi=CompSci_p013.shtml

You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. For any other use, please contact Science Buddies.